For The Best Dressing, Don't Limit Your Bread Options

Dressing — or stuffing, depending on what you prefer to call it (is there actually a difference?) — is an integral part of most Thanksgiving menus. The dish seems fairly simple: cubed bread, herbs, and seasonings, along with any other flavorful ingredients you like to add in. But that is only if you want to keep it basic. It's easy to elevate your stuffing by switching up what bread you use.

Instead of making a one-note dish with a single type of bread, use a variety, as advised by chef, author, and TV personality on hit Food Network shows like "Alex vs America" Alex Guarnaschelli. The goal is to give your dish complex flavor, incorporating toasty, sweet, or earthy notes. "An example of a cool combination for stuffing could be cornbread that offers an earthy and sweet flavor and then a tangy toasted sourdough that could offer toasty and acidic notes," says Guarnaschelli, the restaurateur behind Clara at The New York Historical on the Upper West Side and Butter in Midtown. 

Using more than one type of bread isn't so impactful in terms of dressing's texture after it's been cooked. According to Guarnaschelli, it's the ratio of bread to other ingredients that can affect the dish's moisture. "It's the quantity of the bread relative to the other ingredients that it can actually absorb moisture and make a stuffing dry," she says. "If you use more than one bread, take care to make sure there are other ingredients offering moisture." Guarnaschelli highlights some common moisture-enriching ingredients used in dressing, including cheeses, meats, butter, and stock. Some cooks even add egg to the mixture. Each of these fats add moisture and tenderness, and bring their own flavor notes to the final dish.

Chef, author, and TV personality Judy Joo follows a similar method, preferring to use at least four different types of bread when she makes this popular Thanksgiving dish. "The magic is in the layered texture and flavor," she says. "Every bite has chew, tenderness, crumble, and a little surprise. It keeps the stuffing from ever feeling monotonous, and honestly, it's why my guests fight over seconds every year."

When it comes to ratios, the key is to determine what you want from your dressing. "I usually go roughly 40% sourdough (for structure), 30% cornbread (sweetness and crumble), and 30% split between challah and a soft French/white," Joo says. You can always switch this up if you want to cater to your guests or depending on your mood. "If your crowd loves super custardy stuffing, nudge the enriched breads higher," Joo recommends. "If you want distinct cubes and bite, lean heavier on the sturdy ones."

It's important to know how different breads will work together in the dish so you create a ratio that succeeds. "All sturdy and it's too dry and aggressive. All soft and you end up with bread pudding," Joo says. But combine both types and you've got a well-balanced dish. "The sturdy ones soak up stock like champs while staying intact, and the softer ones melt in just enough to bind everything luxuriously," Joo explains.

There is one surprising bread choice that Joo likes to incorporate that many cooks wouldn't even think of for a Thanksgiving stuffing, but it's actually quite genius: day-old croissants. "Once dried, those buttery layers turn into flaky, crispy shards throughout the stuffing," she says. "It's insanely decadent, completely unexpected, and takes the whole dish next level. A handful mixed in, and people lose their minds every time."

Although bread may not cost what it did in 1950, and using multiple kinds (especially quality loaves) can make your grocery bill add up, the expense will be well worth it for delicious stuffing. But you still have to prepare it properly based on the texture you want for your dish. 

According to Alex Guarnaschelli, how you prep and incorporate your bread can dramatically impact your dressing's texture. "Dice up your bread, ahead of time and let it dry out a little bit so that it retains some of its shape and texture even when cooking multiple hours in the oven inside the bird," she says. "Either that, or leave it deliberately soft and moist and crumble it into the stuffing a little bit like breadcrumbs as a binder for all the other ingredients."

Judy Joo, on the other hand, is a firm believer in one method. She advises making sure the bread is cut into ½ to ¾ inch cubes and letting them dry out for a day or two. "Spread on sheet trays and dry slowly in a 250°F oven until they're rock-hard like croutons — that step is non-negotiable," Joo says. 

Once you've done the hard part of choosing your bread wisely and properly preparing it, have fun with the rest of your ingredients. Toasted nuts are a great way to get some extra texture and flavor, and you can even go with a seasonal nut like chestnuts. You can either buy them pre-roasted or roast chestnuts yourself in the oven, and when you mix them in with aromatics like onions and garlic, and plenty of fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme, you'll have a house that starts smelling heavenly as your dressing cooks.